The field of the invention relates generally to power systems, and more particularly, to master arbitration in power systems.
At least some known power systems include multiple, identical modules independently operating in a coordinated fashion to provide a system output. Certain system behaviors may need to be coordinated in response to external stimuli. This is generally accomplished by establishing a master module and synchronizing the remaining modules to the master module.
To establish a master module, at least some known power systems arbitrarily designate a master module and a backup module. However, if the master and backup modules are removed from such systems, it may be difficult to establish a new master module.
In at least some known power systems, an external device, such as an external controller, designates a master module. However, in such systems, the external controller is a single point of failure, and operation of such systems may be impacted if the external controller is damaged. Moreover, in at least some known power systems, a timing scheme is implemented in which modules attempt to take control after predefined intervals. However, using the timing scheme may result in a relatively long period of time passing before a master module is ultimately identified.